Two Gigs, Two Covers and Too much to do!

Well, I didn’t intend to go this long between posts, but as my story today will show, I’ve got my reasons.

Last week was busy as expected. I got a last-minute ask to join the panel at the bi-weekly “Unplugged at the Pub” show over at O’Hanlon’s. It was my first cold-call “can you come help out” gig, which feels great. Getting noticed without pestering someone is a good feeling. The booker, Tiny, and Jason Liggett (Late Flowers) were my co-panellists, and I had a fun time with this format. I also had a chance to hop back up on stage later in the night as part of the open mic.

Unfortunately, I’d walk off stage after the open mic section to learn that my grandfather, Remo Forer, had passed away while I was up there playing. He was 97, and the last few months hadn’t been good to him, so it was a mix of both sadness and relief to hear the news. And there was some beauty to know I was possibly singing – possibly even playing kazoo to serenade him to heaven. It’s actually my intention to return to Unplugged at the Pub when it happens again on Oct 14 to play a song in his honour and share this story.

Thursday saw me driving out to Moose Jaw to take part in an open mic at The Hive, a cool little coffee shop on the south end of Main Street. I was the oldest performer by 20 years and the only male on the bill, but I had a good time nonetheless, and it was probably the one gig that garnered me the most followers on social media. Never underestimate a gig where you don’t fit in! I’m going to try and make it out to a few more, maybe convince them to have me in on a Saturday afternoon or something sometime.

In and amongst this, I’ve been working hard on the business part of this gig. The Friday prior to all of these gigs, I had my first meeting with a job coach. It’s a benefit I get with my day job, so I figured – why not, right? She’s been encouraging me to start journaling again, working on my paperwork with more intention and doing some reading about mindsets and preparation. It’s had a pretty spectacular effect, and I’ve put a lot of lines in the water for new gigs, and I’m doing a lot of work that I’ve either set aside or ignored, particularly over the last few months.

Which brings me to this week. It’s been quite a bit quieter on the performance side. I’ve got another gig next Wednesday, October 1, at Bushwakker. In addition to my “paperwork,” I’m also spending this quiet week cleaning up a new song to play at the show and working on several covers I hope to add to sets in the next few weeks. That includes the one I’ll play in tribute to Grandpa at O’Hanlon’s and one I think will go over well the next time I play at The Hive.